Lela M. (Cornelius) Claussen

June 20, 1935 - July 20, 2020

Lela M. (Cornelius) Claussen, 85, of Kearney, died Monday, July 20, 2020 at the Good Samaritan Society, St. St. John’s Home in Kearney. Private family Memorial Services will be held 10:00 a.m., Monday, August 3, 2020 at Horner Lieske McBride & Kuhl Funeral and Cremation Services with Pastor Kevin Holloway officiating. Burial will follow at Kearney Cemetery. Visitation will be from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Sunday, August 2, 2020 at Horner Lieske McBride & Kuhl Funeral Home. Memorials are suggested to be made to Kearney First Baptist Church or Salvation Army. Lela was born June 20, 1935 in Kearney to Carl J. and Anna (Crow) Cornelius Sr. She grew up in Kearney and graduated from Longfellow High School in 1953. She attended the University of Wyoming and University of Nebraska Medical Center earning her degree in Nursing. Lela married Joseph Williams February 8, 1951 in Kearney, NE. Lela married Dwayne Claussen June 3, 1960 in Laramie, Wyoming. Lela was a Registered Nurse, Certified Public Health Nurse, and was a Director of Nursing and Program Administrator at numerous locations around the country. Lela was a Board Member for Kearney Center for Nursing, and for Modoc County Schools in California. Lela was an active member of the Kearney First Baptist Church, Eastern Star, and Daughters of the American Revolution. She loved to play the piano, quilt, read, listen to late-night radio, and if she was cooking for a few, she cooked for an army was her motto. Lela is survived by her sons, Hart (Jayne) Williams of Eugene, OR; John (Lilies) Claussen of Grand Lodge, MI; Jay (Debra) Claussen of Omaha, NE; daughters, LeAnn Reed of Atascadero, California, Sarah (Eric) Drum of Middletown, PA. She has 10 grandchildren; 1 great grandchild; brother-in-law, Howard Roberts Jr. of Omaha, NE; sister-in-law, Rose Cornelius of Sidney, NE. and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. Lela was preceded in death by her husband, 4 brothers, and 1 sister.